Means for preparing tamale husks



July 28, 1925. 1,547,741 |.F,HcKAs MEANS FOR PREPARING TAMALE HUSKS Filed Aug. 1s, 1924 sheets-smet 1 July 28, 192s. l 1,547,741

l. F. FlcKAs l MEANS FOR PREPARING TAMALE HUSKS Filed Aug. 1s, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2 A Patented July 28,V 1925.

' UNITED MEANS non yrnnrnnrNef'mniulmn 'Husxs4 v Hammered Angustia, v19er. seriai'lno. jaaa/ 2. i

f husk suitable for the manufa'cturej'and preparation oftamales.

In the preparation of tamales, acoifisi-der-v able amount of `oor-n husks are femployed'as wrappers. for the tamale.' `For this purpose it is necessary to have the corn husks of large size Vand provided with'neat, r.uniform and clean edges where the husks .are separated from the cobs.; `The majority ofV methods and means for removing husks from seed xcornY destnoysthe husk for such purpose'aiid' hitherto the tamale manufacturer haslargely depended upon husks .cut fromvthe cornentrely by hand, employing some form of butcher knife, or the like. Theoostof so huskingfcorn -tosupply suit# able v husk` for tamale purposes, is, very great.- l y Y Y An object'fof the present inventionis to provide anl apparatus by which 'corn may be husked at a relatively low cost lwhile' providing a properly cut husk for tamale use. 2

Various Yother objects and 4advantages of this invention -will yappear from a descrip.-

j tion' of the preferred 'example of the apparatus in whichthe invention is embodied. Reference. is ltherefore made to the accompanying drawings illustrating one example of the apparatus by which the husk cutting method may be employed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a form of. husk .cuttingl apparatus.

Fig. 2 is an elevation ofthe apparatus shown in'Fig.`1.

Fig. 3 is :an elevation'in vertical section on the `line Sfof Fig. l.'

Fig. 4L is .an enlarged elevation ofj-th'e husk cutting `shoe illustrating the yposit-on of an ear of corn therein; and

Fig.v 5 is a plan view of 'thek cutter and shoe disclosing the position at whichthe ear of corn is fed thereto. i L

VIn the drawings, 2 indicates -a rotatable preferred husk, setting 'Orserernsmember Qomprsf ing ai-cylindrical plate body 3,l the-fore` .y Y

ward, .side ;of"which jisuattached to a disc 'knife 4 of larger diameter than the body disc, knife. is preferably detachably secured to the fbody 3 inany suitable manne-r., such as bolts 5.. `The ydisc' knife i 4 lies in `.a verticalfplane and the body 3 of the cutter is providedtwitli arplurality of radial prongs .6 .extending outward from the cylindrical surface of the'body but preferably extending a less `distance from the body 3 lthan the edge ofthe-'disc knife ,4.

I f7 Y indicates a shoe ljxuXtapesi-tione'd withl reference lto the cutter' 2so as to hold an ,ear position to be .acted4 upon'A by the cut the cutter 2 curvedpto correspond somewhat with the curvature ofthe Vknife 4:; `theupper end .of such face, however, isc'urv'ed backwardly as at 9 to facilitate feedingtheears ter 2, the shoegf? having its face,.8 adjacent',-1

between .the shoe and cutter.. `The shoe?? fis fi;

provided with a series of prongs 10 Iextending towards .theknife 2. s i

The,shoe f7 .'scarried by fa pivotally mounted support 12, the support being piv- .oted near its center yas indicatedat V13 to la post 14 ofaframe .ofthe apparatus, the pivot point i3 being located .belowthe cutter 2 and nearly in falineiiientk therewith. The .support 12 is connected to. a tension spring 15 Aat its lower end, theoppositegend g of the spring '15 being attached to a fixed post 16y of the frame, the springfl thus .comprising means 1 operated 'to yieldingly .urge the shoe' 7.towards the cutter. i:Near

the upper end of the support 12, the ,support is connectedy to a belt 17 througlilan adjusting Vmember 18, said beltv being also con,- nected tothe post 16` .andoperates tov limit themovement ofthe shoe?? towards the Icutter 2. The member 18 may l,constitute .any suitable extensibleconnection .operative to vary thelimit position'ofthe shoe 7.

19 indicatesga .conveyor operated to feed -cobs towiardsthe shoe side of the cutter v2. The conveyor 119 comprises a suitable frame fr mounting horizontal rollers. 2Q land 2ljover which vam endless belt `22is passed, the-roller Q1 being provi-ded rwith Y adjustable ybearing by lwhich Vthe position of the roller V .may be varied to properly tighten the belt 19 thereon. The .roller 20 is positioned close tothewshoei .and `.the shoe 7 is .shown with `its back 24s adjacent the roller cutaway to permit theshoe 7-to-pivotbaok close to the roller `during the est .oper-ations.,

The belt is disposed at substantially the same level as the upper `end of the shoe 7.

Below the cutter 2 and extending away therefrom, is provided a delivery conveyor 25 including an endless belt 26 passing over rollers 27 and 28 at itsv end, the rollerV 27 being close to theknife 2 but disposed somewhat therebelow. The roller 27 is preferably mounted upon an adjustable bearing 29 by which the position of the rollery 28 mayl be adjusted to tighten theA f of great value yfor wrapping tamales.

belt 26. l

In practice, the conveyor 19 is continually operated to carry ears toward the shoe 7 and the conveyor 25 continually operated to carry ears away from the cutter '2. These conveyors may be driven by any preferred mechanism, it being preferable that the conveyor 19 should Vbe driven somewhat faster than the conveyor 25 for the reasons hereinafter'set forth.

In the drawingsthe cutter 2 is illustrated as carried by a horizontal shaft 30 extending rearwardly from the conveyors and therey provided with a gear 31engageable Ywith a gear'32 on a driven shaft 33 mounting a pulley34, it being understood that the pulley 34 may be driven by a belt 35 from any suitable. source of power.V The gear 31 may be released from the shaft 30 by operation of a clutch 36, the clutch 36 being controlled byra pivotallymounted clutch-control arm 37 pivotally connected to a rod 38 extending to the front side of the apparatus'and there connected toa pivotally mounted lever 39. rlhe shaft 30 likewise carries a sprocket l Vwheel 40 which connects the shaft through chain 41 to a sprocket wheel 42 on the roller 20. Theroller 20 also carries a sprocket wheel 43 over which a4 chain 44 passes, the chain driving a sprocket wheel 45 on the roller 27. The gearing between rollers 27 and 2O is preferably such that the conveyor 19 willv be driven at twice the rate of the conveyor 26. In husking corn the. apparatus is set in operation and Vears of corn are placed on the conveyor 19 in any.. suitable manner, such as by hand, and approach the rotatable cutter 2. An operator stands in front of the cutter 2 and grasps each ear approaching on the belt and places the same between the. shoe 7 and cutter 2l so that the stem of the ear is in position to be engaged by the prongs 6 and 10 of the cutter 2 and shoe 7, respectively, the remainder of the ear extending forward as shown inFig. 5. The rotation of V'the cutter 2 then forces the ear between the and 10 by the kernals of the cob where the prongs hold the knife 4 from cutting entirely through the cob but insure the knife same'to separate'th'e severed husk and remainder of the ear. The husk of the ear is in this manner cut clean vtherefrom without tearing ordamaging the husk and is It is'thus seenk that theI prong 6 Vupon thel cutter 2 constitutes an ear-gripping means or members and also means for rotating the ear while it is in engagement with the knife 4. The prongs 10 upon the shoe constitute gripping means operative to holdrthe ear during 'such operation. f

While the invention is shown -in its preferred form, it is understood that various modifications may be made withoutdepart- Y ing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention is therefore not limited to therdetails of the apparatus described, but is of thescope set forth in the appended claims.

vI claim: Y

1. In a device'of the class described, a rotatable cutter carrying the ear-gripping and rotating means, and a shoe disposed to maintain an ear in contact with said cutter during 4a husk cutting operation, kthe shoe having ear grippingV members.

2. In a husk cutting apparatus, the combination of a rotatable cutter having means to limit the depth of the cut into an ear, a shoe operative to maintain the ear in cutting relation with the cutter, andl means forv rotating the ear during such cutting action.

' 3. Ina husk cutting apparatus7 a rotatable cutter, a shoe adjacent the cutter, means yieldingly urging the shoe towards the cuti ter, and prongs on the cutter and shoe.

4. -In a husk cutting apparatus, a rotatable Y cutter, al shoe adjacent! the cutter, means yieldingly urging the shoe towards the cutter, and prongs on .the cutter and shoe, the cutter including a detachable disc knife.

5. In a husk cutting 1 apparatus, a husk severing means, means for presenting an ear of corn to said means, means for rotating such ear while presenting the same to the severing means.

6. A device of the class described, comprising, in combination, a rotatable husk severing member, means for presenting an ear to said member, means for rotating the ear while presented to the severing member, and stop means operative to limit the penetration of the severing Vmember into the ear operated on. Y

7. Adevice of the class' described, comprising a rotatable husk severing member, stop means on said member to limit the 130 penetration of the member into an ear, Y

means including a yieldingly mounted shoe l for presenting an ear to the severing memmeans for rotating said ear While presented to the severing means, and means for feeding ears towards the severing member.

prisng a vrotatable husk severing member, 'yieldingly mounted means for presentino' 9. A device of the class described coma an ear to the severing member, means for rotating the ear While presented to the` severing means, and means forfeeding ears for carrying ears from the severing member. Signed at Los Angeles California, this ,711th day of August 19124.

viRviN F. FioKAs.

vtovvards the severing member,'and means l0 

